Count the Reasons
by Esmeia
Summary: 100 themes challenge, based out of the bible. Centered around the budding relationship between Spyro and Cynder, not to mention their buddy, Sparx.   Spyro x Cynder  .
1. Heaven

**Heaven**

**XOXOXOXOXO**

_Author's Notes: As I've mentioned on my front page, I'm going to take the 100 themes challenge, with the theme being from the Bible! I guess you can say it's a bit of a thank you to the big guy upstairs, since after finding myself with Christianity, I have a lot less stress and look at the world a lot differently. _

_I might do these out of order, but I will go through all of them! It should be a fun and interesting challenge._

_Anyway, enjoy! Here's the first prompt. Who knows, I might pick a few of these and draw illustrations for them. XD_

_Oh! Also, these will switch POVs, from Spyro to Cynder, Cynder to Spyro, etc etc. This one starts with Spyro's._

XOXOXOXOXO

I couldn't tell where I was. It was blindingly bright, which didn't help with the splitting headache I was suffering from.

Was I dead? Did I really die in that chaos, trying to pull the world back from the brink of destruction? I didn't know. Really, it didn't matter. As long as I reversed what _he_ had done, then I was content. As long as all of those I left behind were safe.

"Spyro. Spyro, please wake up..."

_Cynder? Why would she be here?_

I shook my head, the memory of her staying behind with me returning. I had told her to go, but, as always, she had to be bull-headed and refused to go. Most might have found it touching. It was, I suppose. But it just made my blood boil at the time. Now look where we were! We were gone from that world, both of us. She didn't have to suffer with me.

I cracked open an eye, groaning as the light shone through. My vision slowly focused, and I could finally make out the form of my partner. She smiled in relief, turning her head away from me slightly. She hurriedly swiped her paw across her eye. For her sake, I wouldn't let on I caught her weeping for me. I knew how she hated to show any kind of weakness.

"Cynder... where are we?" I asked hoarsely. I turned my head around to assess our surroundings. Everything was perfect. The sun was bright and warm against the lush, green hills. Various forms of wildlife were enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. I could even make out a family of deer prancing around in a colorful field of flowers. It was something straight out of dream.

It was too good to be real. No, it was real. But it definitely couldn't be of the world _I_ had always known.

"It's Avalar," Cynder confirmed, lying down next to me and resting her head on top of mine. "We made it."

I couldn't help but laugh. I laughed even harder when Cynder lifted her head off of meand gave me a look, as if I'd gone insane.

"I can't believe my luck," I grinned, suddenly feeling ecstatic.

We had done it. When everything looked hopeless, when it seemed like everything we had worked for would crumble... by some _miracle_, we made it. All of those lives that were lost along the way weren't in vain. We had done right by them after all.

"Luck had nothing to do with it," Cynder scoffed, rolling her green eyes. However, her frown quickly turned into a smile.

"So you say," I retorted, smirking up at her. No longer caring for the pain in my body, I rolled onto my feet. Everything looked exactly as I had remembered it. You wouldn't think that, after all it had went through, that it would look so beautiful. So untouched.

"We played it close, though," Cynder said, sighing deeply. "I half-expected to see Ignitus, when I came to."

I glanced over at her. Any other time, I might have snapped at her for making such a crude, inconsiderate joke. But when I saw her face, I realized she wasn't joking: she was completely serious. I guess it was her way of saying how worried she was.

I smiled, looking around the hills of Avalar.

"It wouldn't of been such a bad deal, though," I said, stretching out my golden wings. The sunlight reflected off of them, seemingly making the both of us glow in the afternoon light. "If it's this beautiful on Earth, Ignitus must really be enjoying himself up there compared to this. Who knows? Maybe he had a hand in us making it."

"You think so?" Cynder smiled, coiling her tail around herself.

"Why not? He's done it for me plenty of times," Spyro smiled. "I doubt he'd stop now."

XOXOXOXOXOX

_Okay, this wasn't totally centered around Spyro and Cynder, but when I saw this prompt on the list, I immediately thought of poor Ignitus! I was very mad he died, but even more of HOW he died: he's a fire dragon, that died in a fire. I'm sorry, but **what**? _

_And I felt he deserved to go to Heaven, and not stuck having the Chronicler's job. That sucks! XD_

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Each one of these will be pretty short, but might vary slightly in length. At most, these take up two pages in OpenOffice. _

_Thanks for reading! I promise not to have so much space taken up by my notes after this!_


	2. Hell

**Hell**

**XOXOXOXOXO**

_Author's Notes:_ _The fun thing about this challenge is that they have quick, mini oneshots each! 3_

_Thanks for the reviews, guys. I don't beg for them, but I certainly love them to bits. I love getting feedback, seriously._

_Enjoy._

_Oh, this one's from Cynder's POV._

XOXOXOXOXO

"Where is he!" I yelled through the roaring sounds of the fire surrounding us.

This was is. This was our final battle. If we didn't finish this madness now, it was all over.

"I don't know, but be ready!" Spyro yelled back, craning his neck around, trying his best to spot our opponent.

He had never had to fight him before, so of course he was looking in all the wrong places. If I knew my former master well, then he'd come from behind. He was just that cowardly.

I turned my head, charging up a powerful poison attack. Unfortunately, he appeared sooner than I thought and pushed us against the side of the cliff we had previously fought on.

I screamed in pain. His claws were digging into my back, trying to crush me against the formation. I barely made out Spyro, in a similar condition. Wasting no time, I pushed back against him, praying Spyro had enough sense to do the same. Thankfully, we both were able to push Malefor away from us before he succeeded in crushing us under his claws.

With the remaining power from our combined Fury attacks, we charged into his exposed stomach.

I heard him roar as we slammed into him, effectively knocking the wind out of him. The three of us descended onto a lower platform, facing each other.

_He's in a corner,_ I thought with excitement, watching his every move. _I never thought in a million years that I could get my revenge like this. Who knew it would be so easy, so gratifying._

Just as I expected, he cast a powerful fury beam at us. We countered with our own. With the two of us pooling our strengnth, we overpowered him.

It was over. I watched with morbid satisfaction as the purple spectors pulled him into their realm. I hoped that it would be his personal prison. Death was a luxury wasted on the likes of him.

The world around us, however, was still affected by Malefor's influence. What more could be done? What _more_ was expected of us?

Spyro wanted to stay behind. He was prepared to give his all, in a final, suicidal attempt to save our world.

He was _insane_. The very idea was preposterous. How could he even _think_ of giving his life for this? What if it failed, then what? What if... _whatever_ he was planning to do, didn't do a thing to reverse what was happening? He would be gone, along with everything else.

He told me to go.

I told him no.

Did he think that I was going to leave him here? To die, alone, afraid, uncertain?

He yelled at me to get out of there. He went onto his typical hero speech. He talked on about how there would soon be nothing left for me if I didn't go. If I didn't leave to find safety.

Why didn't he understand? If I were to actually flee and find sanctuary, it would mean nothing. Accomplish nothing. Did he think I was afraid of dying? Of that uncertainty called death? I wasn't. I came so close to it, so many times. It was as if me and the Grim Reaper were the best of friends.

If it was truly that time, I could accept it.

But I couldn't accept what he wanted me to do. I wouldn't.

He had shown me more compassion, cared more than anyone else. Gaul might have shown me some of this, but I never understood what it meant to be free, to want to fight for the better, until I met Spyro. I had laughed, cried, shared personal moments, and even... _loved_. I was attached to him, mind, body and soul. In some ways, I doubt I could ever explain. It went beyond even my own understanding.

And he expected me to just leave him behind. Leave my _world_ behind?

"I'm with you," I said firmly, smiling at him. It was probably the most sincere smile I had given him. To anyone.

He knew he couldn't fight the issue. He simply shook his head at me, defeated.

I fought back the tears that welled up. I hated to see him so hopeless, so broken. And a lot of the fault lied on my shoulders. I nearly broke him.

It wasn't fair. Not for me, but for Spyro. The only thing I hoped was that, in the next realm, he would meet the home he deserved. Some might say there is nothing after this, but I felt there definitely was. Would I be there with him? No. Why would I be there? I'm a monster. Maybe not the same I was two years ago, but still a monster. I'm not much better than the one we just defeated. What God would let a monster into his holy domain? I know I wouldn't.

But, to go on living without Spyro... that was unthinkable. No matter the outcome, I would stand by him. With him, I was not afraid.

Spyro felt that staying here and suffering whatever was to come would be Hell. How wrong could he be? Without him with me, beside me...

That was my Hell. Grant me the honor of being by your side.

XOXOXOXOXO

_I was kind of killing two birds with one stone with this prompt. Some people expressed interest with seeing Cynder's side of things near the end of DotD, and I felt this scene went well with the theme of "Hell"._

_Just to let you guys know, not all of these will come from Dawn of the Dragon. They will come from any moment in the series, really, so don't be surprised if a lot of these aren't from the latest game!_


	3. Light

**Light**

**XOXOXOXOXO**

_Author's Notes:_ _I'm on a roll with these things, it seems! I'm having a blast doing these, truly. It's really fun matching my writing with my spirituality. I might do more of these challenges. It's very refreshing!_

_Anyway, please enjoy. This one is from Spyro's, the next Cynder's. This will be the last time I tell you which POV this is!_

_As always, reviews are appreciated._

_

* * *

_

"I can't see," I heard her say, a hint of irritation in her voice. "I just _know_ I'm going to run into something."

"It's just a bit further, Cynder," I reassured her, stifling a laugh. She could be so irritable at the tiniest of things.

"What are you complaining for?" Sparx, my adoptive brother and best friend, snapped. "I'm a floating lantern, aren't I?"

"More like annoying," I heard her retort. Sparx looked over at me, wanting me to come to his defense.

I sighed. One of the things I wish I didn't have to deal with on this journey was the two of them bickering nonstop.

"Cynder, there's no need to get mad at Sparx," I said slowly, slowly following Sparx as he helped lead the way through the dark cave.

"Sure, take _his _side," Cynder snapped. I'm sure, if I could see her, I would have received a look that could have killed. I sighed deeply, rolling my eyes.

"Of _course_ he'd take my side," Sparx said smugly, folding his arms. "I'm his bro, and his _favorite_. Don't be jealous."

"And _you_ don't always have to start the fights, Sparx," I continued, raising a brow at him. Sparx's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't think I was going to just scold Cynder, did he? He could be just as bad, for ancestors' sake!

Cynder laughed from behind. "He told _you_."

Sparx remained silent, fuming. I knew he would later rant at me about encouraging her behavior. However, I didn't care. I just wanted to get out of this God-forsaken cave and finally get a clear view of where we were. Hunter was nowhere in sight: not like he was of much help to us when we were being attacked anyway. He always seemed to conveniently be out of the area when trouble came around.

"Are we _there yet?_" Sparx whined, making me wince.

_Here we go,_ I thought tiredly. _It was only a matter of time until he went into his routine of annoying me._

"If you'd stop bickering, we might have already found our way out by now, don't you think?" I said. I couldn't, or rather, I didn't bother, to hide the frustration in my voice. I was just ready to get out into the light, maybe even take time out to hunt and catch a few moments of sleep. After all that we'd been through, discovered, I didn't know how much more I could take.

"Hey, don't blame me! Blame _her_!" Sparx replied, casting an angry look at her. Cynder simply scoffed at him, not bothering to give him a response. Thank God.

"Help! Help!" someone screamed, seemingly only a little ways off from our location. "Anyone! We have children here!"

"Great, what now?" Cynder sighed.

"Come on," I said, feeling my way through the nearly pitch darkness. I hoped I would catch onto one of their scents to make it easier. Thankfully, Sparx kept close, so I could at least see where I was walking. We soon came upon a small group of strange creatures. There were three larger ones, which I assumed to be adults. They were fox-like, but seemed to be able to walk on their back legs and use their front legs as arms. They weren't unlike our new ally, Hunter.

I spotted four, smaller foxes hidden slightly behind the adults. All of them were dressed in shabby, ragged clothing. They looked as if they hadn't eaten in a good few days. One of the adults, a female, screeched as we came into view, pointing her torch right at me.

"Dragons! Stay back, demons!" she screamed, protectively moving in front of one of the children. "We don't want to deal with your kind anymore! You've already done enough!"

_Malefor._

"Please, calm down," I said softly, as soothingly as I could. "We heard your calls for help, that's all. We can help lead you out of here."

"And right into a trap, no doubt," another one said, rolling his gray eyes at the three of us. "That's exactly how most of our kin met their ends."

"Spyro," Cynder whispered. I looked around, seeing her jade eyes stare back at me. "Let's just leave them. If they want to perish here, that's _their_ problem."

"No, Cynder," I said adamantly. "They need our help."

"They don't _want_ our help," she snapped back, turning her back to me. "Let's go, we're wasting our time here."

"I said _no_," I said stubbornly, taking a step towards the trembling group. They flinched, keeping me within their sights at all times. I looked to Sparx for help: in these kinds of situations, he was great at easing peoples' nerves.

"Hey hey! What's all the hubbub about, huh?" Sparx laughed, flying around the group. They watched him suspiciously, but didn't move to attack him. "Hey, I know some big, scary dude hurt you guys. We get that, and we're sorry. But these two..."

He glanced at Cynder, who stared back with disapproval. He then looked to me and smiled.

"Well, _one_ of them," he snickered. "Is a nice guy. He would never hurt you, even if someone tried to force him to. I can vouch for him."

"Why would you defend a dragon?" one of the youngest asked, completely confused. "Their kind are the most dangerous around."

"I don't deny that," Sparx said, nodding his head. "But I've lived with the big, purple guy since we were young. He wouldn't land a hand on you. Heck, he'd never lie a hand on a bug! Ain't that a shame?"

I smiled at Sparx, and then nodded at the group. They all looked to each other, not sure of what to do. We waited for a few, tense seconds. Finally, the leader of their group nodded slowly, lowering his torch.

"Alright, dragon," he said softly. "But we're keeping our eyes on you."

"That's fine," I said warmly, stepping aside. Cynder reluctantly did the same. "If you'd like, you can go ahead of us. Sparx will lead the way."

"Fine," he replied, leading his kin a few feet ahead of us as Sparx continued through the cave. Just as I promised, Cynder and I stayed a ways behind.

"You're such a goody toe-shoes," Cynder said, cutting her eyes at me.

"Someone has to, in these times," I said coolly. "If I wasn't a 'goody toe-shoes' back then, you wouldn't be here."

Cynder gawked at me, taken temporarily off guard. Although my words might have come off as rude, it had a lot of truth to it. And she knew it.

For the rest of the trek, she remained silent. I had no doubt she was secretly fuming, trying to come up with a suitable rebuttal.

Finally, for what seemed like several hours, we made it out of the passageway. It was still night, but the light from the moon was a welcome change from the inky blackness inside the cave. I stretched out on the grass, happy to feel the loamy soil beneath my paws. Cynder did the same, taking the time to lie down.

The fox clan rejoiced, prancing around the area. Sparx zoomed back over to me, sitting in the crook of my left horn.

"Yeesh, no appreciation!" he said, folding his arms.

I grinned. "Such is the life of us heroes, huh?"

"Nah, man," Sparx said. "You're the hero. I'm just the sidekick..."

"Don't say that, Sparx," I said, stretching out my claws. "If it weren't for you, they might have never come to trust me. They might have died in there, you know. We need you."

"Speak for yourself," Cynder mumbled. Thankfully, Sparx didn't catch it.

"Thanks, man," Sparx replied.

The vixen from before slowly walked up to me. She held a shining, gold helmet of some kind in her paws. I lifted my head, curious.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, lowering my wings so I didn't seem so intimidating. "Will you and yours be alright from here on?"

"Yes, thank you," she said, a touched smile on her reddish face. "I apologize: it was unfair of me to judge you like I did. We owe you, and him," she nodded to my brother. "Our lives. As a reward, however meager, we'd like you to have this armor."

I lowered my head, and she carefully placed it on. I grinned at her, touched by her words and actions.

"Thank you," I said. "That's very thoughtful. If there's anything more we can do, don't hesitate to ask."

"Please do," Cynder grumbled, still in whatever foul mood from earlier. I ignored her.

"We'll be fine, I'm sure," she said, looking to her family. "We still have kin out there, in the underground. We'll meet up with them and take shelter. We pray that you all take care of yourselves. These are dark, troubling times, my dear. Please do be careful. You're one of the only rays of light in this darkness."

My eyes widened in surprise. Some might wonder why I was surprised to hear such praise. Surely, I should have been used to it by now. Sure, I had done many good deeds, and I had been called a hero countless times. But, I just didn't think I was worthy of it. I did what I had to do. There was too much riding on all of this not to.

Despite this, I couldn't help but feel proud.

If that was what I was to the people, I would gladly accept it. That would be my reward for my troubles.

* * *

_This one takes place around the time when Spyro and Cynder leave the catacombs in the beginning and go out into Avalar at night. They were separated from Hunter, so that's why this wasn't in the game._

_Cynder might have seemed kind of cranky, but that's how I imagined her in the beginning. I imagined she still had doubts about which side she wanted to be on, and her growing feelings for Spyro was frustrating her a lot. So, she tried to distance herself as much as she could, you know?_

_Thanks for reading!_


	4. Dark

**Dark**

**XOXOXOXOXO**

_Author's Notes: I'm slowly going through this list of themes! Some of them I just KNOW will be hard for me to come up with. XD_

_Anyway, enjoy! _

_

* * *

_

I watched the group play in the fields in the back of the temple. There wasn't much space at all, but it was big enough for at least Spyro and Sparx to play in comfortably.

Of course, he had invited me to join in the fun, but I didn't have the heart to. I declined, although it hurt to see the disappointment in his eyes. His annoying little companion didn't seem to mind one bit. I'm sure he preferred that I stay away as far as possible.

Even though that stupid fly annoyed me to no end, I couldn't completely blame him for his suspicions. After all, what good reason did they have to put a shred of faith in me?

I shook my head, hating how I constantly allowed myself to get into these angsty, depressing moods. It wasn't going to fix anything. Crying for myself would not solve even one of my many problems.

I flicked by bladed tail, watching it make clean, deep grooves in the concrete below with ease. There were many scars in it already from me just lying around, utterly bored out of my mind.

Suddenly sensing someone approaching, I whirled around to see Terrador. I sighed in relief, lying my head atop my front legs again. I heard the heavy sounds of his footsteps draw closer. I suppose he had come to play with the rest of the Guardians, and Spyro.

"Cynder?" he called out. "Are you sick?"

"No," I answered curtly, folding my wings neatly. "I'm fine."

"Then why aren't you out there playing with the others? It's a beautiful day, don't you think?" Terrador pointed out, closing his eyes and savoring the warm light of the sun.

He had a point. Any normal child would have dropped everything and taken advantage of such perfect weather. The keyword there being _normal._

"It is, I guess," I mumbled. I knew I was putting a damper on his spirits, but I just wanted to be alone. Was that so wrong? "I'm just not the playing type."

"Suit yourself," he replied coolly. I watched his large, forest-green frame make his way towards the others. Before he made it far, he turned back around to face me. "You really shouldn't dwell on the past, Cynder. You're home now. Learn to have fun."

I rolled my eyes at him and turned away pointedly. I heard him sigh and continue on his way.

I'd be lying to myself if I said there wasn't any truth in the Earth Guardian's words. I was being extremely difficult, it was true. But he didn't understand. They were only going easy on me because I was a whelp. If I was as I was before, the Angel of Death, they wouldn't show me any mercy whatsoever. I had done so much damage, taken so many innocent lives. Some would think that, in my corrupted state, I wouldn't have any memory of it. They were wrong: I can remember each horrid deed I did as vividly as if I had done it just yesterday. I was almost convinced that the souls of those I had tortured were keeping me this way.

Terrador had said that I was dwelling on the past. My whole bad been black, stained with blood. But now...

I was free. I was home.

I glanced back at them. They were all laughing and talking amongst themselves. It seemed so surreal to see anything so innocent, so peaceful. The whole concept was utterly foreign to me.

_You weakling,_ the voice in my head said. No, it wasn't a voice, it was my constant, nagging thoughts. It would be too easy to say that I was crazy. _You're just aching to return to the Dark Master, aren't you?_

"No," I whispered, clutching my eyes shut. "No matter what, I'm not turning back. Even if I don't stay here, I'm not going back to that."

"Cynder! Come on!" Spyro yelled from his spot atop Ignitus' head. "We were just about to go to that new spring."

The others looked over to me. They knew better: I wasn't likely to do anything of the sort. But I wanted to prove them wrong, prove to them that I didn't always sulk and dwell in self pity. I'd show them.

I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out. I just couldn't do it. If I got attached to this, all of this, then it would be harder to leave. Leaving was inevitable. Why make it even harder than what it had to be?

"No, thank you," I said sadly, turning my head away from him.

I didn't have to see his expression to know that I had hurt him. Like a double-edged blade, it hurt me too, if only a little.

"But, Cynder..."

"Don't bother, bro," I heard Sparx say nastily, likely leading him away. "You're wasting your time on someone like her. She'll just drag you into that foul mood she's always in."

My blood boiled at the comment. I would have retorted, but it seemed like they were already making their way out. I turned in time to see the tail of Volteer before he disappeared as well.

Feeling tears build up, I bit my lip and swiped them away.

I knew I wasn't wanted here. I was destined to be an outcast, no matter where I went. I was branded as the Angel of Death for as long as I lived.

* * *

_Emo Cynder is emo!_

_XD_

_No, seriously, I can see her being this way just before Eternal Night. She wants to break free of that attitude, but it's going to take time. And, well, the theme of "dark" fit Cynder to a tee. I don't think she's like that, truly, but it is a part of her. _

_Thanks for reading! The next one will likely be up either later tonight, or tomorrow!_


	5. Prayer

**Prayer**

**XOXOXOXOXO**

_Author's Notes: Looks like I can usually upload two of these a day instead of one! Good. XD_

_Anyways, enjoy!_

_This one is still Spyro's POV, but with a slight twist. Please enjoy!_

_

* * *

_

There was only so much time to do what had to be done. I had to return there at all costs.

Those damned apes had taken everything dear to me. My friends, my family, my lover. There was only one thing left to salvage from this chaos.

And it was most fragile. The easiest to destroy.

A couple of small, goofy soldiers attempted to ambush me. I knocked them out of the air easily with the blunt of my wings, hearing them knock into the ones pursuing from behind. I continued to run towards the temple. My lungs burned, and my mouth was dry from the effort.

I didn't care. The only way they could stop me now was to kill me.

The sturdy building was now in sight. All I had to do was go in and get it.

Where would I go? Where could I stash it, where no one could harm it? I had no idea. All I did was hope to God that it wasn't already too late.

I jumped over the body of a fellow dragon. I didn't bother to see who it was: I would just cause even more turmoil onto myself, and I didn't have time for that.

Suddenly, a searing pain in the back of my left leg caused me to roar out in pain. I fell forward, skidding across the sun-kissed dirt. I tried my best to recover. I was so close! There was only a few more feet before I reached the gates, I couldn't give up now. Everything couldn't be lost!

A large ape walked over to my fallen form, sneering down at me. He had a bow in his hands. Bastard.

"Stupid winged lizard," he laughed, bending down on one knee to gaze into my eyes. "Did you really think you stood a chance against the Dark Master's army?"

"You all can go to Hell," I spat, aiming and shooting a powerful fireball at his face. He screeched and fell back, clutching at his face and eyes.

With his subordinates to busy trying to extinguish the flames, I crawled into the temple. The wound in my leg wasn't fatal, thankfully. But at this rate, I wasn't so sure I could save what little hope there was left.

The sight that awaited me inside struck me to my core: the eggs were all destroyed. I had trouble fighting down the bile that rose in my throat as I saw the wet, slimy bodies of my clan's unhatched children strewn about carelessly.

Demons. Demons, every last one of them!

Enraged, I set a few apes on fire. This time, I didn't bother to stop. I didn't stop until they were small, crispy outlines of their former selves.

Exhausted, I collapsed onto the floor and cried. What more could be taken from me? What more could Malefor take from us? Not only us, but the entire world? What possible gain did he get out of hurting our future, our children?

"Are you alright?"

I looked up. It was Ignitus, the Fire Guardian. What was he doing, talking to me? Did he come to rub salt into my wounds? I knew how much he looked forward to the birth of prophesy's one.

What was I to tell him? Surely, he could see the result for himself.

"Does it _look_ like I'm alright, Ignitus?" I whispered, closing my eyes. "I've lost everything."

"Not everything," he said, gently pushing me over into the corner, out of the chaos. "There is still hope, even in this time of darkness."

I wasn't in the mood for his philosophical bullshit. No amount of meaningless words could undo what was happening, and he knew it.

I opened my eyes, only to glare at him. "Speak frankly. I do not want to hear your rambling."

"I saved your egg, and any others I could salvage..." Ignitus said. He looked around at all the youth that was lost, tears forming in his eyes. "I only wish I could have done more."

So, there _was_ still hope. My egg, and a few others, had a fighting chance.

"Thank you, Ignitus," I said, turning my head away from the scene. "I pray that they grow to know the truth of what happened here tonight. To know just how lucky they were. I pray they change our future, should we live to see it."

"That's all we can hope for," he said, biting an advancing ape on the shoulder and tossing it out the window. "It's all we can pray for."

I wasn't much into these kinds of things. The supernatural. But what would you call this? Some might just label this as luckiness, but to me... it was a miracle.

Whatever was watching out for my baby, I prayed it helped it from here on. I only wish I could be there to help.

* * *

_This took me a lot of thought, since I didn't want to use common scenarios for this prompt. I decided to write from Spyro's mother's perspective, but it's still focused on him. _

_I hope you enjoyed this one! Next one will be up soon. :D_


	6. Repent

**Repent**

**XOXOXOXOXOXOX**

_Author's Notes: Sorry for the lack of updates recently! Didn't mean to take longer than I did, I'm not feeling especially well. Got a real sore throat._

_But thank you for your patience! Here's the next one, from Cynder's POV if you don't remember._

_

* * *

_

"Come on, Spyro!" I called back, leading the way. I had to cut down the wild brush, it was so hard to see anything. "You can't just sit on your butt all the time, moping!"

"I don't know about this, Cynder," he replied gloomily, trudging behind. "I'm still feeling a bit weak from my last adventure."

"You want your powers back, right?"

He nodded.

"Then I think I know a way. Come _on_!" I persisted.

I'm not sure why I was so excited. It wasn't like me, after all. But something about today gave me a hope. Maybe it was because I felt this was a new start for me. For him, too.

A few weeks had passed since I was brought to the Dragon Temple. Although the welcome I received was warm, I secluded myself most of the time. They might have cut me some slack for being a whelp, but I knew that, deep down, they still didn't trust me. How could they? But Spyro was a different story. He could have left me to suffer, but he saved me...

I call it stupidity. Who, in their right mind, would save the one that caused most of their problems?

Nevertheless, I felt obligated to return the favor somehow. Simply saying "thank you" wasn't enough. Of _course_ I was thankful, I didn't need to word it, did I? I decided to try and get him back his powers. He had been depressed with nothing to do, and his depression was making me even more so. If I could get him back to shape, I'm sure he'd go back to being his annoying, optimistic self.

"Look! Here it is!" I said, finding the abandoned room I had discovered a few days ago. It was hidden behind a tangled mess of vines and weeds, but they were cleared away easily with a swing of my tail blade. I looked back at Spyro, nodding towards the entrance.

"Alright, Cynder, you win! I'm coming," he chuckled.

I smiled brightly and we both ran inside the room. I heard Sparx buzz above us, complaining as usual. He had to be one of the most irritating creatures on earth! I honestly could not comprehend how him and Spyro got along, much less consider each other brothers. I had never heard of such madness in all my life.

"I need new friends- AHHHH!"

I cringed as he screamed and zipped back over to Spyro.

_Hiding behind him, as always,_ I thought, rolling my eyes.

"I don't know, Cynder," Spyro said, looking about the room cautiously. "I'm not even sure how this works."

I smirked, walking over to the middle of the room as the large, stone statue of an Elder Dragon retracted into the floor.

"Relax, Spyro," I said soothingly, walking inside the marked circle. "All you have to do is stand outside the circle, and whatever you think of," a wooden dummy appeared with a flash in the middle of the circle. "Appears inside the circle."

Spyro and Sparx looked on in awe and intrigue. Sparx then shook his head in disapproval.

I ignored him. I wasn't trying to boost _his_ spirits, now, was I?

"Come on! Try it!" I urged, getting impatient.

"Well, alright. I'll give it a shot!" Spyro said enthusiastically, leaping forward. He attempted to breath fire, with little to no success. At the most, all he could blow was hot air and smoke. He tried this again, and again, until it seemed like he would run out of energy by simply trying.

He looked down at his claws, disappointed. I smiled (which was something I rarely did, so I'm sure it looked forced), walking forward.

"Come on, Spyro! You can do it!" I encouraged.

He sighed and tried one more time. His body was stiff with determination as he stared down the wooden dummy, as if it were an actual enemy. With a huge intake of breath, he finally released a powerful burst of flame, reducing the target to a mere pile of ash.

"I did it!" he said triumphantly, a large grin stretching across his face.

I had to admit, it was a little contagious. I grinned and circled around the former dummy. "See? It was only a matter of time."

He strutted past, a cocky smile now replacing the relieved grin. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the display.

_As soon as he does something good, he goes right back to that arrogant attitude of his..._

"Give me something more challenging," he said coolly, flicking his tail.

_He's really feeling himself, isn't he? _I thought, amused by his sudden turn of emotions.

"Alright, _tough guy,_" I said, thinking up something worthy for him. "Try this one."

What would give him a good fight? Who was tough enough to even lay a _hand_ on him? I couldn't do it, even when corrupted. But I knew someone who could...

"N-no! What am I _doing?_" I whispered in a panic, trying to change what I already knew was coming. The circle had already begun to materialize the one man that sent shivers down my spine. His large frame towered over, his emerald-green "eye" glowing eerily in his sunken face. Sharp fangs gleamed in the sunlight, looking even more menacing than they should have.

I backed up, cursing myself for becoming so weak and scared at a time like this.

"_Cynder_..." he growled, lifting one of his two, large scimitars.

I gasped and narrowly dodged the blade as it came crashing down. The weight of his weapon didn't seem to faze him at all, as he easily lifted it up and prepared to strike again.

Spyro came between me and my former mentor. I suppose he was trying to save me, but what could he do? He could barely build up a flame, for Heaven's sake!

"Cynder, make it go away!" Spyro shouted, staring down his opponent.

I glared at the back of his head. What did he think I was _trying_ to do all this time!

"Ugh... I can't!" I said in frustration as Gaul lifted one of the swords over his head.

Spyro inhaled and let forth... a bunch of smoke. I thought I caught a hint of a smirk from Gaul, though it was hard to tell.

"Oh no, not again..." Spyro mumbled seconds before he was smacked away by the side of Gaul's sword. I saw him collide against the opposite wall and slide down, dazed.

"Spyro!" I yelled, moving to go by his side. However, Gaul brought his other weapon down in front of me, effectively stopping me in my tracks. I spun around and met his angry scowl.

"Cynder..." he spat, narrowing his good eye. "You've had your little taste of freedom. It's time for you to come back, don't you think? You have so much to atone for..."

"No!" I screamed, jumping back. "I'm not going back!"

"Who's to stop me from _making_ you, runt?" he laughed. "I'm taking you back, dead or alive!"

He struck again. I dodged it easily, but tripped over myself, trying to make some space between us. I rolled a foot or two before finally steadying myself. I shook my head of the dizziness and was horrified to see that he had somehow backed me into a corner during all of this. There was no way I could avoid the next blow.

Was this how it was going to end for me? Just when I had found freedom and real companionship, I was going to be cut down by Gaul? And he hadn't even found me on his own: I had _brought_ him here. Even when I was miles away, he still had his grip on me in some way.

_Had I really done anything wrong? I know I had done many things I wasn't proud of. I had dozens of lives destroyed, most by my own hand. I had thought, if anyone would have brought me to this, it would be a friend or family member of a victim or something. But no! I was to die by Gaul's hands, for simply wanting to break away! That was the sin I was going to die for._

I winced as he raised his sword for, certainly, the last time. I closed my eyes and looked away, dreading what was to come.

But the blow never came.

Instead, I heard a series of strange sounds, as if something was being punched repeatedly. Confused, I opened my eyes to see Spyro landing a series of blows on Gaul, who was quickly taken off-guard and defeated. He fell to the ground and disappeared, returning back to his lair no doubt.

I couldn't believe it. Other than the Dark Master, who I was always told to have been exceptionally powerful, Gaul was the most powerful of the apes. He was the _king_ of the apes! And he was subdued, just like that.

"Spyro," I said wobbly, making my way towards him. "That was... _amazing_! How did you do that?"

He raised a brow, as if he didn't know the answer himself. "I'm not sure, honestly."

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" I said quietly, shaking my head in disbelief.

"_Hello?_" Sparx sighed, folding his arms. He looked to his brother, shaking his head. "Not even a 'thank you'! How's _that_ for gratitude, dude?"

"Sparx..." Spyro started, preparing to reprimand him, but I cut him off.

"No, no," I said hurriedly. "He's right. Thank you, Spyro."

Sparx's eyes widened in surprise, while Spyro blushed slightly.

"It was no problem," he said timidly, leading the way out of the room and into the fresh air outside. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I reassured him, deep in thought.

"You sure?" he pressed on, looking me up and down. "You seem a little tense."

"I'm fine, really," I smiled. "I'm just glad to be out of there."

"What did he say to you?" he asked, nosy as ever.

I sighed. "Just... stuff, alright? I don't want to talk about it."

"Just as rude as ever," Sparx said, rolling his eyes.

Spyro didn't stop him this time.

Even though things had calmed down, I couldn't get over the fact that Gaul now knew exactly where I was, if he didn't previously. He would soon build an army and storm the temple, and engage all of the Guardians in battle. Spyro would have to go through more trouble, not to mention Sparx. As infuriating as he could be, he was important to Spyro. I could never forgive myself if one of them were killed because they were trying to help me.

I hated to admit it, but maybe there _was_ some truth to Gaul's words. I was enjoying my time free, so much that I pushed the very real dangers to the back of my mind. Would I be running back to the Apes? No. I was finally free of their clutches, and there was no way I was going to go back of my free will.

But I also couldn't stay here. As much as I loved it, this new home of mine would also be destroyed if in my wake. I had to get out of here, somehow.

Perhaps that was my only way of repaying Spyro and the Guardians. My only way of repaying them all, was to be as far away from them as possible.

* * *

_This one was a bit longer than the rest, so I'm sorry about that! _

_I'm not totally happy with this, but it was hard to think of a good scenario for this prompt. I liked working off of the Eternal Night short, though, it was really fun! _

_Anyway, thanks for reading! Hopefully I'll feel better about the next one._


	7. Saved

**Saved**

**XOXOXOXOXO**

_Author's Note: Wow, talk about a long pause between chapters. XD_

_I'm determined to do this challenge, darn it!_

_Alright, this one is from Spyro's POV. Enjoy!_

_XOXOXOXOXO_

Everything hurt down to my core.

My legs, my wings, my bones, my muscles... it felt like my very soul was aching from the battle. I fought to keep my head up. After all, I had absolutely no way of knowing if I had actually defeated her...

To my relief, the dragoness before me lay motionless yards away from the swirling gates of Convexity. Her body was covered in wounds, bruises, and scratches. Her feet and legs were shaking slightly, no doubt from the mysterious power I had unleashed seconds earlier. It was an ancient power I never knew I had... perhaps it stemmed from the odd powers that purple dragons allegedly had?

I saw one of her jade eyes peer over at me. I tensed, preparing for round three.

A low growl escaped her lips, her teeth shining as she sneered at me. "You little bastard..."

I didn't respond. What was she going to pull this time? Although I didn't want to kill another of my kind, she was a menace. She _had_ to go. After all she had done to the remaining guardians, who knew what else she was capable of?

I was prepared to end the nightmare once and for all. Even if I had to kill her with my own, bare claws.

Cynder gave out a long moan, turning her head away from me. Her dark body began to shine a blinding white, startling me into taking a few steps back.

"What's going on?" Sparx yelled, zipping over to cling to my left horn.

"I don't know," I said, wincing at the brightness. "Stay back, Sparx!"

The light got brighter and brighter. I feared it would swallow us up! Before I could attempt to run, however, the light died down just as quickly as it began. I dared to open a violet eye. What did she have up her sleeve?

"What the..." I whispered, eyes widening.

I expected my opponent to be back on her feet, wings raised so she could engage me in yet another battle. Instead, what I saw was a miniature, younger version of my female adversary. She was curled up in the same spot, with identical wounds. I heard her moan softly from the pain.

"She _is_ just like me,"I said in awe. "I can't believe it."

Shortly before going into battle, Ignitus had informed me that Cynder was from the same batch of eggs I was born in. Which meant that she was supposed to be the same age as I am. At the time, I simply thought he was losing his mind to old age. But now, right in front of my eyes, a fellow dragon the same age as me lay, unconscious.

The platform we were on shook violently, nearly tumbling me over. I dug my claws into the ground, looking around frantically.

"Woah!" Sparx said. "We have to get out of here, and _fast._"

I glanced back over at the small dragoness. Convexity was slowly but surely dragging anything and everything into it. Rocks, debris, even some of the strange alien-like creatures flying around were being drawn inside. I saw a squid-like creature get sucked in.

The screech it emitted from inside Convexity chilled me to the bone.

"No!" I said. No matter what she did... I felt I had to save her. What would I do after that? I had no idea. But something in my heart told me it was the right thing to do. "We have to save her."

"Are you _nuts,_ man?" Sparx said in exasperation. "She nearly killed us! She nearly killed Iggy and the others! Heck, who knows how many like you were killed before we even went on this wild goose chase? And you want to _save _her? Dude, think a bit!"

"I... I know," I said slowly, glancing between the two of them.

What my brother said made perfect sense: what benefit would we get from me saving her life? Would the Dark Master's hold on her persist, whether she was in a smaller form or not? Would she still pledge loyalty to him, despite me showing mercy? How could I accept anything she said as the truth?

"I know all you said makes sense," I admitted. "But it wasn't her fault. I mean, it wasn't her fault for all the things she did in that form. She had no choice! The Dark Master was using her," I reasoned. Although I didn't know much about this mysterious dragon, I knew he was extremely powerful and feared by the guardians. Who could say he couldn't override another's will? "I just think that she was just... just trapped up in all this! She was a victim."

"No!" Sparx resisted, shaking his head emphatically. "I'm telling you, that's a bad idea."

He was right. It wasn't only a bad idea, it was an _insane _idea. So why did it seem like a perfectly reasonable thing to do?

Another powerful shock wave shook me out of my thoughts. The power from Convexity was increasing rapidly. It wouldn't be long until everything, including Cynder, was consumed by it.

Taking a deep breath, I released my grip on the ground. I allowed myself to be pulled towards the altar, watching with horror as Cynder was simultaneously lifted off and disappeared into the purple mass. Who knew how much time I had to bring her back before she suffered the same fate as everything else that had gone inside before her?

"Hold on!" I yelled desperately.

I had a chance of surviving in there, being a purple dragon myself. But even I wasn't sure how long my luck would hold out. I went through the gate. Inside was nothing but blinding light accompanied by an intense burning sensation. I could make out the small form of the girl. Wasting no time, I grabbed her and focused all my energy into pulling out of Convexity.

To my intense relief, I was able to pull the both of us out of Convexity. I saw Sparx sigh in relief as I flew by.

"Now we can go," I said with a smile.

"Right behind you," he said, flying close next to me.

I didn't look back as I sped off towards the opening in the sky. It looked like the way I came, so I just took it. Anywhere was better than here.

"Are we going to make it?" Sparx asked nervously as we flew past various hazards. Everything was moving so fast it was hard to make out anything anymore.

"Sure we will," I yelled back.

Though I really had no way of knowing. All I knew for sure was that we had to keep moving forward.

What seemed like ages passed until we finally came out of the tunnel and into a place that seemed to be near the swamp I was born in. Unable to hold Cynder in my arms anymore (or hold myself up, for that matter), we fell from the sky and onto the hard ground below. I could feel my body slam into the ground. I could swear I felt one of my legs break from the impact. I bared my teeth in pain, tears filling my eyes. The combination of fatigue and pain caused me to black out.

I could only pray that the guardians found me before the apes did...

XOXOXOXOXO

"Spyro? Spyro, can you hear me?"

I didn't open my eyes. I could feel something soft and comfortable under my head, and it was doing wonders for my headache.

I groaned. _Please, please leave me alone. At least for now, please._

"Let him rest," I heard a gruff, deep voice say. "He's been through hell and back."

"Terrador?" I mumbled, opening an eye slowly. The fuzzy silhouettes of four adult, large dragons could faintly be made out. I knew that each green, yellow, blue and red blur was Terrador, Volteer, Cyril and Ignitus respectively. I was relieved to find them all safe and sound. "Thank God... how are you guys?"

"Why, I think the better question is how are _you?_" Cyril said, clicking his tongue. "Honestly, boy. We weren't the ones who just went out and fought the Terror of the Skies alone, now did we?"

"Hush, Cyril," Ignitus warned. Cyril wisely shut up. "Spyro, you amaze me more and more as the time passes," he said warmly. "I can't believe all that you've done. And it seems you've done something that I was never able to do."

"What? Defeat Cynder?" Volteer laughed.

"That too," Ignitus chuckled. "But I was talking about bringing her back to us. I was never able to save her egg - "

"That's right!" I said, suddenly sitting up. My eyes flew open and looked around widely. "Where is she? Is she okay?"

"I'm alright," a low, calm voice said from behind him. He spun around and came face to face with the small dragoness. There was no doubt: she was Cynder. Although she was no longer in her previously tall, fearsome form, the features were unmistakable. Her silver markings, her piercing green eyes, her smooth black scales, and her sharp tail and wing blades were all the same. However, not only was she in her rightful form as a hatchling, but her very demeanor was completely different. She had a serene and calming look about her, even if it was regretful. "Thank you. I... I can't thank you enough."

I gulped and smiled nervously. But it wasn't because I was afraid anymore. "I'm glad you're okay. I was afraid we'd lost you."

"Oh man, I'm so glad you're alright!" Sparx yelled, startling the two of us. I felt my brother cling to my face, in the awkward form of a hug. "I was so scared!" he sobbed.

"I told you we'd be okay," I laughed, patting his head. "I promised we would."

"And kept it you did," Ignitus said with a smile. "We owe a lot to you, Spyro. Now we are all together again. Cynder, welcome back home."

"Thank you, Ignitus," she said gratefully. "It's good to be home."

"Come," Terrador said to his friends, with an extra nod to Sparx. "Let's leave him to rest."

"Thank you, Terrador," I said, lying my head down on top of my front legs. "I just want a minute alone."

"Hey!" Sparx protested as Cyril gently held his wings in his jaws. "Why do I have to go? Why does _she_ get to stay?" he spat at Cynder.

Cynder looked down, silent. I glanced over at Sparx, then to Ignitus.

"Come now," Ignitus said, rushing the group outside and into the main hallway. "Get some rest, young dragon."

The large double doors creaked to a close. I glanced over at Cynder.

_I wonder why she wanted to stay,_ I wondered._ What does she want to do? Or maybe... maybe..._

My wings stood at attention, fanning out in a defensive manner. Cynder's eyes widened in surprise as she took a step back.

"I-I'm sorry," she said, hanging her head. "Do you want me to leave?"

"Huh? No..." I said, feeling foolish for getting so defensive. After all, she suffered a lot of damage as well. If I couldn't fight, I was sure she couldn't. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that."

The both of us stood in uncomfortable silence.

What could I say to her? What could she say to _me?_ Before this moment, we had been sworn enemies, both fighting with all our might for conflicting goals. She was working with the Dark Master to take over the world and plunge it into darkness, while I worked with the Guardians to undo all the damage already done and bring the world salvation.

And yet, here we are, face to face.

"I just wanted to say... _thank you_," she said softly, slowly looking up at me. Her eyes were filled with remorse. "And that I am so sorry for all of the mess I put you, no, _everyone _through. I don't know why you showed me mercy. I don't know why you risked your life to save me. I did so much to you, to everyone. I didn't deserve it. But, thank you. No one's ever shown me even a shred of kindness you showed today."

I stared at her. I never expected an apology from her. Not even something that could be mistaken for an apology. But here she was, humbly offering her thanks and regrets. Although I was unsure about my decision earlier...

I was beginning to think I made the right decision.

In fact, I was sure I did.

"You're welcome," I said, giving her a bright smile. "I'm glad I did."

XOXOXOXOXO

_Author's Note: Okay, I know this is completely different from the ending from A New Beginning. Mostly because I don't remember some of the dialogue, but also because I felt it should have had more of a scene for Spyro and Cynder. So I have to invent a sweet scene!_

_Next one coming soon! Thanks for reading._


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